Would this be okay?

[CamperJack]

My solar charge controller can handle a maximum 520 watts of solar, according to the supplied manual. It's a Epever Tracer 40A. (Manual: https://www.epsolarpv.com/upload/cert/file/1811/Tracer-AN-SMS-EL-V1.0.pdf)

I did want to get two 250w panels to achieve a total of 500w. However the panel I have had on order for a month is suddenly "unavailable" after being totally ignored by the company I ordered from for three and a half weeks.

It seems that 250w panels are hard to get hold of. A found one on eBay but it's out of stock when you speak to the seller, despite what their eBay listing might tell you. Also just over 250w seem to be much cheaper than 250w?

To that end I have been looking at panels from suppliers recommended to me in another thread today and have found these, at 265w each. So two would give a total of 530w. Obviously, according to the manual, this is 10w too many.

However I have heard about "oversizing" on solar. So would this be okay, to be over by 10w? Is this what is meant as "oversizing"? Or might I blow it up in a big ball of fire / smoke or otherwise break this expensive piece of kit by doing this?

 

[pappajohn]

250w panel will never produce 250w of energy.
The 250w is a theoretical laboratory figure in the same way my car will do 70mpg according to the manufacturer.... In reality it does 45mpg

 

[Wagoneer]

It's extremely unlikely the controller will ever receive 100% power from horizontally mounted solar panels.

Even in southern Europe or Morocco in mid-summer the maximum transfer efficiency of the panels will be less than that which your controller is rated at because the angle of the sun is about 80 degrees (90 degrees is when the sun is directly overhead giving maximum power).

 

[CamperJack]

Thanks both. Would you say this is okay to do then?